Canada 2010

This year, Christina, Heather, Jennifer and Scott, Chris and myself decided to make the cold trip North in search of some ice.  For me that meant 3 trips, lots of driving but lots of fun.

The beautiful Bow river, mostly frozen.  Christina and myself had a wonderful day ice skating on the river

Looking East towards the Three Sisters

Heather with Cascade Falls in the background

Jennifer getting into te zone near Banff

 

 

Time to go climbing, Day one is a visit to the Junkyards, what a great place, the hike in is about 15 minutes and the drive is about 30 mins from the hotel. I can wake up at 7am and be climbing ice at 8am…the same day

Jennifer on the steepness

Jennifer swinging the Simond Naja’s, she sure make its look fun

 

This is what the Chateau looks like from an unusual vantage point….high up on Louise Falls

Pitch number one, Louise Falls, Jennifer on the Ice.

Taking a small break on the way to the Ice cave

Looking at the ice pitch into the cave. Joe is somewhere in there

View from inside the cave showing the free standing pillar of pitch 3

Jennifer climbing Pitch2

Looking to the South, this is the view that Jennifer would get!!!

What a day and how to spend a day, winter in Canada

 

 

 

 

Canada 2006

February time is Canada time and once again we made the trip north to Banff and Canmore in Alberta.  The first stop is as always the Whiteswan hot springs, this leaves us a little more ground to cover on the second day and so Haffner Creek is an ideal first stop of the ice climb schedule.  Its between Radium and Banff and access is about  a 20 minute hike.

Haffner Creek, great top roping area

Second day of climbing finds us in the Ghost!! This is a wilderness area driving East out of Canmore.  It is remote and then even more remote.

Plastic ice in the Sun, is this really the Ghost?, I better check my notes

Belay Station n the sun shine..awesome!!

Day 3

Yea, the good life in the Ghost, here the truck is the kitchen and the bedroom and the storage room

Another early and cold day for the taco, its time for breakfast

Malignant Mushroom WI5

First Lead out

Looking for a good ice screw

Beautiful Country

The View fron up high

Looking East from the anchor

Reuben,  getting belayed? down after completing the climb

Miss Tracterton, taking time out to eat

The motely crew of Miss Tracterton, Becka, Joe and Tom, with Mr D taking the shot

Looking west

Near the end of the day, heading back to the truck and Home for the night.

Miss Tracterton, glad to be ghosting

Another day another climb, awesome

Getting ready for launch with the Naja’s

The wilderness of the Ghost

Rueben on lead placing a ice screw

Leading out

Getting ready to rappel, checking out the V tread

On Rapell

Dinner, Miss Tracterton and Joe tailgating on the dodge

Getting to the next climb with the help of the Cummins Diesel

Looks like the finish is not in as in condition

No Worries

Getting close to the trucks

Sunset and the cold will soon be here

Lake Louise

Ice castle on the lake

Louise Falls WI5

Getting ready

Recent Snowfall

Rueben

Tom on Moonlight or is it Sunshine?

Nice line

Looking down the top of the climb

Rapellling

Ice Crystals..big ones!!!!

Frozen whitness

View from above

Johnston Canyon

Not quite cold enough for this pond to freeze

Raven’s Call at -10F

Huge Huge califlower ice formations

Getting a closer look

Careful Ice placements on the final pillar

The real Ice Man on this trip

Goodbye from Canada for another year